Again in 2025, I’m working on a new Eastern German-style gown (Saxon Court-style gown), this time green. And of course I’m going to need a new goldhaube (gold-hood). Goldhaubes were popular in the early 16th-century German Lands and were highly ornate gold fabric covered with adornments such as pearls, gold work, and flinderlien (SPANGLES!).
As I was combing through inspiration paintings, I decided there were more than enough examples with flinderlien, and I really wanted to give it a go. It just so happened I bought a ridiculous amount of gold-dipped spangles a while back. Now this would not be a full-on flinderhaube, the hauben styles in paintings from the 1520s-1530s suggest they were used more as an embellishment along trim or with other style elements. The full-on flinderhaube styles emerged in the 15th century from Swabia, as seen in The Babenberg Family Tree by Hans, Part 1489-93, and in the 17th century, as exemplified by the extant flinderhaube at the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, dated 1640.
2. H. 17. Jh. GERMANISCHES NATIONALMUSEUM
The Design – trying to solve the gathering problem
One painting in particular caught my eye, Lucas Cranach the Elder’s Samson and Delilah, 1528-1530. I decided I’d go with this goldhaube as my guide; my spangles were a little bigger, but I figured they were close enough. Also, since there was no halo and the haube is appropriate for the period, I wasn’t worried that it was an overly creative representation of an actual style. See the Curious Fraus blog for a neat article about this: Beware the Halo!
I mentioned in the last goldhaube blog that there are no extant examples per se, there are some net versions, and there is a goldhaube belonging to Anne of Bohemia and Hungary (d.1547) buried in St Vitus Cathedral, Prague. However, this reconstruction has some issues, and it is not the same style. Modern reconstructions use a gather method in the back, as seen in Genoveva von Lübeck’s pattern (SCA) (link). I haven’t had much success with that pattern, so I developed my own in 2024. It turned out pretty well, but you could see gathering folds along the sides, and I wasn’t entirely satisfied with the way it was done. Check out the Misadventures in Making an Ornate 16th c. Goldhaube for more info on that attempt.
This time, I was determined to develop a better pattern and capture the shape correctly. I had some fellow Creators over for a Stitch and B%$@#h, and they were helping me brainstorm some ideas. The lovely Opus Elenae suggested darts and worked up some mock-ups to test the theory, and her version looked pretty good. However, I was still stuck on gathering to get the fullness of the style of haube I had settled on. So I set out to try again. This time I decided I needed a couple seams, sure, there are no seams visible in the paintings, but that doesn’t mean they were not there, either obscured by trim or omitted by the painter. I also decided to get the shape I will need to pad the lower part of the haube.
Developing a Pattern
I started by creating a wulst (bulge pad) to go around the back of the head. I took some linen and cut out an almost round “C” shape. This graduated from the fullest circumference of about 3 inches and tapered to points on either side. I embedded some bias tape to act as ties at either end. Then I stuffed it with some filling and hand-sewed it shut once I was happy with the fullness and shape.
I then pinned the wulst to my mannequin head and started draping. I had some poly faux silk shot that was great for a mock-up. I cut, pinned, and sewed quick seams using my machine until a pattern started to emerge. I decided gathering at the very base of the neck would be okay, and I wanted the sides to be smooth.
After some trial and error, I ended up with a nice, rounded, and smooth shape using some curved seams, similar to a baseball. I picked the side of the mock-up I liked the best (the left side in the photo), and used that as the final cut. I was thrilled with the look and color match to the dress’s fabric, so I decided to use the mock-up fabric for the final goldhaube. Although it’s cheap poly, it looks great for this application. So I used the mock-up and cut out the final pieces from the fabric. I will put a cutting diagram here soon, when I have a chance to draw it up on software. For now, you can see the shapes, and if you are trying to replicate, you should probably make the wulst and drape it as it is, so custom.
Putting the Goldhaube Together
I ended up lining each pattern piece with some interfacing to firm up the fabric. Then I hand-sewed the side and back haube pieces together using a back stitch. Then I set about attaching the trim I selected. I went with a poly metallic cheap trim. I really liked the way it looked and was convinced it would look the best; it also had a repeating pattern every 1/6 inch that would work as perfect spacing for the spangles later. I made a concerted effort to space everything correctly, especially on the front and sides. I wanted an even rombus pattern. I hand-sewed each trim strip down to the haube. The pattern worked out well, and I ended up with some free-style triangles and larger diamonds in the back. I went around and machine sewed the edges of the haube and secured the trim.
Next, the flinderlien madness began. I went along each strip of trim linearly. I used some upholstery thread and a running stitch. I started on the wrong side about 3/4 inch from the edge. Poking through to the right side every 1/6 inch, I picked up a gold-plated 3mm metal bead and a gold-plated spangle. I made sure not to pull the thread too tight; I wanted to leave some play in the thread to allow the spangles to hang properly. I tied off with triple knots at the end of each trim row. After 1463 spangles and beads, I was done.
At some point, I took a break from the flinderlien madness and worked on the haube band. I marked concentric circles along the band using a bottle cap and some chalk. I then embroidered it using some DMC gold thread using a chain stitch. I also embroidered “Anne” on the inside for funsies. I then ironed and folded the band. It puckered a bit, and I was pretty bothered, but decided to let it go and just use it anyway. This was a very hard decision for me. I’m a bit of a perfectionist, I can be very hard on myself, and I will scrap things and start over. However, I figured this goldhaube is a little prototype-ish in quality, and I will likely make another down the road, learning from these mistakes. I still have more spangles in my stash…
Next, I created a gathering at the base of the haube. I did this with two parallel running stitches with 1/2 inch stitch length. I then gathered up the pleats and tested the fit by pinning the band to the haube, trying it on repeatedly, and testing it all out.
Once I was happy, I attached the band to the haube using waxed linen thread and a hidden whip stitch. At the base of the haube, I attached each individual side of the band to each pleat inside and out.
At this point, I decided I needed to attach the wulst to the interior of the haube. It was just too hard to get it on and off. So I cut the strings off the wulst and stitched it into the haube using some gold upholstery thread.
Once the wulst was all sewn in, I went ahead and lined the interior of the haube with thin black linen.
All Done!
Overall, I am satisfied with the finished goldhaube. I think I achieved the desired effect. The goldhaube resembles the one from the painting. Sure, there are some things I would have done differently, but next time.
